SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — U.S. Border Patrol agents from the San Diego Sector found more than 160 pounds of drugs in two separate vehicle stops last week, according to a press release.
On Feb. 18 at around 2:35 p.m. agents pulled over a “suspicious vehicle” on I-5 near the San Clemente Border Patrol Checkpoint.
A Border Patrol K-9 unit was requested and gave a “positive alert” after which agents searched the vehicle and discovered a secret compartment holding packages “consistent with smuggled narcotics,” the press release said.
Ultimately 55 packages were removed and tested positive for cocaine. The total weight seized was 142.96 pounds, estimated at more than $1.1 million street value.
The DEA took custody of the drugs, vehicle, and driver, who is facing narcotics-related charges.
The next day, on Feb. 19, at about 9:30 a.m. at the Temecula Border Patrol Checkpoint on I-15, a vehicle was stopped and searched again after a Border Patrol K-9 “alerted to the vehicle.”
A backpack was discovered on the front passenger floorboard that held eight bundles of apparent narcotics that turned out to be fentanyl, totaling 18.51 pounds worth around $143,000.
The driver was handed over to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and is facing charges for transportation and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Border Patrol.
“In fiscal year 2024, agents in San Diego Sector seized 2,862 pounds of cocaine and 782 pounds of fentanyl,” the agency’s release said. “Four months into the current fiscal year, San Diego Sector has already seized over 900 pounds of cocaine, along with over 150 pounds of fentanyl.”
